Steam and gas generator.



No. 825,687. PATENTED. JULY 10, 1906. E. Al WEIGEL & I. WOLF.

STEAM AND GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.5, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 825,687. PATBNTED JULY 10, 1906. F. A. WEIGEL & I. WOLF. STEAM ANDGAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.5, 1905.v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 24 Wzneadea:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F RIEDRICK ALBIN VVEIGEL AND ISAAC VOLF, OF JOHNETTA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

STEAM AND GAS GENERATOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed October 5, 1905. Serial No. 281.524.

T all' whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that we, FRIEDRICK ALBIN WEIGEL and IsAAc WOLF, citizens ofthe United States of America, residing at Johnetta, in the county ofArmstrong and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Steam and Gas Generators, o which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings'.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in steamand gas generators; and the invention has for its primary object theprovision olnovel electrically-actuated means for generating steam andgas for operating engines.

To this end we employ cylinders into which are admitted water, and ineach cylinder are mounted two carbon rods which constitute the positiveand negative terminals of an electric circuit. The carbons are connectedto a suitable source of electrical energy, and as the water enters thesecylinders it is acted on by the electricity passing between the carbonsand is raised in temperature, whereby steam is generated and a part ofthe water is decomposed, the resulting product being a mixture of steam,oxygen, and hydrogen, which is conveyed to a suitable receivingtank ordirect tothe cylinder of an engine.

The construction entering into our improved steam and gas generator willbe presently described. in detail, and reference .will now be had to thedrawings accompanying this application, wherein like numerals ofreference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, inwhich- Figure .1 is aplan of an engine equipped with our improved steamand gas generator. Fi 1. 2 is an end view of the Same. Fig. 3 is a si eelevation ofthe engine. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view ofthecylinder used in connection with the same. Fig. 5 is a verticalsectional view of two cylinders combined for generating steam and gas.Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the same.

To put our invention into practice, We emloy a cylinder 1 having flanged'ends 2 2. pon the langed ends are mounted disks or plates of slate 3 3and heads 4 4, the plates and heads vbeing retained upon the flangedends of the cylinder by nuts and bolts 5 5, as clearly illustrated inFig. 4 of the drawings. The heads 4 and the plates 3 3 are'providedwithcentral apertures 6 6, said apertures being in vertical alinementwith` each other. In cach aperture is placed asleeve 7, of someinsulating material, as hardened rubber. EX- tending through saidsleeves are sticks or poles of carbon 8 and 9, the stick of carbon 9being fixed in the lowermost head, While vthe stick 8 is loosely mountedin the upper head in order that the same may be reciprocated within thecylinder 1. The upper end of the stick of carbon 8 is mounted in acouplingblock 10, which is attached to a link 11, carried by the outerend of a rock-arm 12. The rock-arm 12 is fulcrumed, as at 14, in astandard 15,'mounted upon the bed-plate 16 of a conventional form ofengine 17. TheV opposite end of the rock-arm 12 engages the periphery ofa wheel 18, which is mounted upon the driven shaft 19 of the engine 17.

The periphery of the wheel 18 is provided with a plurality of lugs orcam-surfaces 2OJ4 which are adaptedto engage the end 21 of the rock-arm22 and impart a vibratory or vertically-reci rocating movement to the oposite end of tlie arm, whereby the end of-t e stick of carbon 8 willmove into close proximit'y to the end. of the stick of carbon 9 and thenrecede a predetermined distance, this being governed by the length ofthe arm 12 1 and the lugs or cam-surface 20, carried by the wheel 18. Toalways return the rockarm" to its normal with the periphery o the wheel18, we mount a coiled sprin 23 upon the head of-the cylinder 1, this coied spring surrounding the link 1 1 and the up er end of the carbon stickand normally hol ing the lcarbon stick in an ele-l vated position,

Itis a well-.known fact that by electrolysiswater and otherliquids canbe divided into their component gases, and in connection with thecylinders and sticks of carbon just described we intend to use water andacurrent of electricity for decomposing the Water and generating steamand gases which w1l1 serve functionally as steam. To accom-I plishthis,we connect wires 24 and 25 tothe sticks'of carbon -8 and 9, thesewiresrepresenting the negative and positive poles of e dynamo orgenerator. The cylinder 1 is provided with a water-inlet pipe 26 andwith a gas-outlet pipe 27, which leads to the chest 28, carried by thecylinder 29 of the engine 17. d By permitting an electric current ofosition in engagement IOO `suliicient'ann-)era e and voltage topassintovv the carbons 8 an 9 a s arkwill jump from one pole' to the other'w env the earbons are separated, and when the carbon 8 is reciprothecylinder 1 the Water Will be, ec

cated rapidly through'the 'medium ofthe rook-arm 12 and the WheeliS aplurality of 'A of hydrogen andone volume of oxygen, and

itlis these generated gases that we employv in' connection with suchsteam as is sim-ul- 'taneouslygenerated for driving the engine I7.fT-hesegases and the steam pass off fromv the cylinder 1 through thepipe '2'7 to the cylinde'r 29,1'and' the-expansive iioree` and pressureof the gasesandsteamserve to drive the engivneata high speed.

` -e lare aware' that; order" toI rapidly decompose a large amount ofWaters. `current of high ampera'ge 'and voltage is necessary, and

we may em 'loy a dynamo or generator or=any other suita le source ofelectric energy to `accomplish the desired result.Y f-

In Figs. -5 a-nd- 6 of the drawings we have illustratedl two cylindersconstructed similar to: the `cyl'iailder 1, With A"the exception that vthey are connected bylpipesy 3G 30-to ai common Water-'supply 31 valves32'32 being employed tofcontrolfthe admission of4 Water: to eachcylii-ider.'A Instead of reciprocating the carbons of said cylinders Iprovi-dei the upper sans of' carbon y with metamo- Couarssa 33,

each collar being provided with a rack 34, which is-ad'a'ptedto engagea; pinion 35,v journaled pinions ei v'rotated by cranks 3636'. 'In thismodie -orm 'of construction the upper carbonsfare-setat all times-tocause' a jumpujon the head ofv eaehcylinder, said'v spark, and thespace' through which said spark jumps can be regulatedby the raisingandlowering of said carbon throu .h the me-` dium of the pinion and therac 34. The

cylinders are also constructed to support by -brackets 37 37 asteamreservoir or chamber 38, into which the steam and gases gener 39. Thesteam and gases collecte 1n the ated inthe cylinders may pass Iby (pipes-39 reservoir are adapted tobe used as the occa.

sion demands.

It is thought from the foregoing that the construction, operation, andadvantages of .the herein-described steam and gas generator Willbeap'parent Without further description,

` and various changes in the form, proportion,

'and minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departingfrom the spirit of 1 the inventionor saeriiicing any of the ad- Yvantages` thereof. v

What We claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

In a generator, the combination with anengine, of a cylinder mountedadjacentto4 said engine and connected by a pipe with thesteam-chestt'hereof, said cylinder being connected to a suitablewater-supply, said cylinder. having carbon sticks mounted therein andconnected with a suitable source of elec- .trieal energy, one of saidcarbo-ns vbeing .loosely mounted in said cylinder, means acltuated bysaid engine toreciprocate one of @said carbons to cause a'jump-spark'inconl"'nection with the electric current, substanvitiallyl-fa-xsdescribed.

"In testimony-whereof We affix our 'siggnsa-` 1 tures in the presenceofy two Witnesses.

rmmuox ALBIN WEIGEL.

AWit nesses S. M.-BREWER,

